Vikes star questionable for weekend series with Bisons

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This article was published 17/01/2024 (1014 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Will he or won’t he?

The big question surrounding this weekend’s two-game series between Canada West men’s basketball title contenders Manitoba and Victoria, pivots on the health of University of Victoria star Diego Maffia.

Maffia, who leads the country and the No. 2-ranked Vikes in scoring with 27.6 points per game, suffered a lower-body injury last weekend and could be held out of Friday’s matchup with the sixth-ranked Bisons at Investors Group Athletic Centre.

“He’s kind of day-to-day, week-to-week,” said Victoria head coach Craig Beaucamp by phone earlier this week. “I mean, there’s a chance he could play this weekend and there’s a good chance you won’t play this weekend… If it was the playoffs, it might be different.”

Maffia’s presence or absence is certain to have a major influence on the Canada West playoff race.

The 8-2 Vikes split a pair of games with the 2-10 Trinity Western Spartans last weekend to lose their No. 1 national ranking and they need to continue their winning ways in order to secure one of the top four seeds for the Canada West playoff tournament, scheduled for IGAC Feb. 21-25.

Similarly, 10-4 Manitoba also needs to pad its win column. The Bisons are still stinging from being swept on the road by the fourth-ranked UBC Thunderbirds.

“I think everyone’s trying to get one of those top four seeds to get a bye,” said Bisons head coach Kirby Schepp, noting a top-four finish allows a team to avoid a first-round play-in game at the conference tournament. “You get to watch the two teams play the day before you play, scout them and go have a practice with what your team just saw. I think there’s some mythology around getting into a rhythm playing before, but I don’t necessarily buy that. I think that’s people talking themselves into anxiety a little bit.”

Bisons star forward Simon Hildebrandt figures the Vikes will be a tough out, with or without their ace in the lineup.

“They’re a very different team without (Maffia) but they’re still a very good team,” said Hildebrandt. “He’s a big part of that but without him it doesn’t mean they’re not good at all. They have tons of talented guys, they all do their job. So, it’s still going to be a challenge, whether he plays or not.”

Maffia, a fourth-year point guard, directs U of Victoria, the most productive offence in the country averaging 94.6 points per game. Manitoba is 13th with 82.3 points per game.

“He’s probably the player of the year in the country,” said Schepp of Maffia. “He’s an elite pick-and-roll playmaker. One of the best I’ve ever seen.”

Maffia’s astonishing shooting range and ability to distribute the basketball make him a nightmare to defend.

“They’re very well constructed for him,” said Schepp. “He can shoot it a little bit like Steph Curry, in some ways. He can shoot it from so deep and you have to commit so much to him and he can make every pass to every spot on the floor. And they just surround him with shooting at every position.”

Game time is 8 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. Saturday. The Victoria and Manitoba women will meet on Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca